Graduate Student Fellowship Application

This application is for graduate students seeking to apply to the Adam Smith Fellowship, Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship, Oskar Morgenstern Fellowship, or Don Lavoie Fellowship programs. If you have any questions, email Students@mercatus.gmu.edu.

By submitting this application I grant consent to the Mercatus Center at George Mason University to process and retain any personal information provided in this application for the purpose of evaluating application materials and communicating with applicants regarding their open or past applications as well as any applicable future programming opportunities and (2) to use tools to count, track, and analyze visits to their websites in order to understand how people use the website and make improvements.

Yes, I consent

The Upcoming Academic Year

What are your education plans for the upcoming academic year?

Ineligible

Applicants must be pursuing a graduate degree in the upcoming academic year in order to be eligible for these fellowship program(s). We encourage you to apply next year if you have plans to be in school then as well as to consider applying for the Don Lavoie Fellowship.

This Upcoming Academic Year

If you are currently applying to graduate programs for the upcoming academic year, you may list 2-3 of the universities you are applying to. You will have an opportunity to update us on your plans later in the application process.

Degree Type

What program (discipline) do you plan to participate in during the upcoming academic year?

What university do you plan to participate in during the upcoming academic year?

Eligible Fellowship Program(s)

Based on the degree you plan to be pursuing in the upcoming academic year, you are eligible for the following graduate student fellowship programs with the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Please read the descriptions below and select the fellowship program or programs you wish to apply for. Applying for multiple programs that interest you, if you are eligible, is encouraged and will not negatively impact your possibility of participating in any one fellowship program.

The Adam Smith Fellowship is a one-year, competitive, co-sponsored program of the Mercatus Center and Liberty Fund, Inc. Adam Smith Fellowships are awarded to graduate students attending PhD programs from any university and in any discipline, including but not limited to economics, philosophy, political science, and sociology. The aim of these fellowships is to introduce students to and encourage them to critically engage key thinkers in political economy that they might not otherwise encounter during their graduate studies. If you have any questions, email SmithFellowship@mercatus.gmu.edu.

The Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship is a one-year, competitive fellowship program awarded to graduate students attending master’s, juris doctoral, and doctoral programs from any university and in any discipline, including but not limited to economics, law, political science, and public policy. The aim of this fellowship is to introduce students to the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy as academic foundations for contemporary policy analysis, policy-relevant academic research, and other applied topics. If you have any questions, email BastiatFellowship@mercatus.gmu.edu.

The Oskar Morgenstern Fellowship is a one-year, competitive fellowship program awarded to graduate students with training in quantitative methods who are attending PhD programs from any university in a variety of fields including economics, political science, and sociology. The aim of this fellowship is to expose students to strategies for utilizing quantitative and empirical techniques to explore key questions and themes advanced the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy. If you have any questions, email MorgensternFellowship@mercatus.gmu.edu.

The Don Lavoie Fellowship is a competitive, renewable, and online fellowship program for advanced undergraduates, recent graduates considering graduate school, and early-stage graduate students. The aim of this fellowship is to expose students, from any discipline, to the key ideas in political economy and how to utilize them in academic and policy research. If you have any questions, email LavoieFellowship@mercatus.gmu.edu.

Personal Information

Prefix

First Name

Middle Name

Last Name

Suffix

Preferred First Name/Nickname

Date of Birth

(mm/dd/yyyy)

Gender

Please elaborate on your choice.

Pronouns

Please elaborate on your choice.

U.S. Immigration / Residency Status

Country of Citizenship

Additional Details

Additional Details (Other)

Contact Information

Primary Email Address

Primary Email Type

Mailing Address

Country

Street Address (Please provide full street address)

Example: 1453 East St. 4th Floor, Room 385, PO Box 395874

City

State/Province

Postal Code

If no postal code enter N/A.

Address Type

How Did You Hear About Us?

How did you hear about the program?

If applicable, please list the specific person, website, or organization.

What are your primary reasons for applying to the fellowship?

If someone recommended this program to you, please provide the person's full name.

If you are currently participating in or are an alum of a Mercatus Center student fellowship, please select the appropriate program below.

Educational Information

Please provide information beginning with the most recent universities you are attending/have attended as a degree-seeking student. List no more than three universities (you can include further details on your resume/CV).

College/University Information

1.1) University Name

1.2) Major/Discipline

1.3) Further Specification

1.4) Degree Type

1.5.1) Enrollment Month

(mm)

1.5.2) Enrollment Year

(yyyy)

1.6.1) Completion Month (or expected)

(mm)

1.6.2) Completion Year (or expected)

(yyyy)

1.7) Cumulative GPA

Add another University/College

College/University Information

2.1) University Name

2.2) Major/Discipline

2.3) Further Specification

2.4) Degree Type

2.5.1) Enrollment Month

(mm)

2.5.2) Enrollment Year

(yyyy)

2.6.1) Completion Month (or expected)

(mm)

2.6.2) Completion Year (or expected)

(yyyy)

2.7) Cumulative GPA

Add another University/College

College/University Information

3.1) University Name

3.2) Major/Discipline

3.3) Further Specification

3.4) Degree Type

3.5.1) Enrollment Month

(mm)

3.5.2) Enrollment Year

(yyyy)

3.6.1) Completion Month (or expected)

(mm)

3.6.2) Completion Year (or expected)

(yyyy)

3.7) Cumulative GPA

Career and Research Interests

Career Interests

Research Interests - Fields/Disciplines

Research Interests - Applied Fields/Policy Issues

Research Methods

Short Essays

Explain what you hope to gain by participating in the Adam Smith Fellowship program and how will the program help you achieve your career goals.

Explain what you hope to gain by participating in the Frédéric Bastiat Fellowship program and how will the program help you achieve your career goals.

Explain what you hope to gain by participating in the Oskar Morgenstern Fellowship program and how will the program help you achieve your career goals. Specifically, explain how you envision using the quantitative method in which you have training (e.g. econometrics, experiments, mathematical modeling and agent-based modeling) to address and to inform questions in political economy and the types of questions in quantitative political economy that interest you.

Briefly describe your research or research interests.

Which intellectual figures and/or books have most influenced your thinking on political economy, and why?

References

Please provide two references that can speak about your qualifications for the program. We do not require letters of recommendation.

Reference #1

First Name

Last Name

Relationship to you

Reference #2

First Name

Last Name

Relationship to you

Upload Application Materials

Resume/CV: File Name convention: LastName_ResumeCV

Only .pdf format

Cover Letter: File Name convention: LastName_CoverLetter

Only .pdf format

Please upload a 1-2 page cover letter explaining your interest in the program(s) you are applying to. It should include a description of your graduate school career to date, your research and career interests, your familiarity with the thinkers associated with the Austrian, Virginia, and Bloomington schools of political economy, and what you hope to get out of the program(s).

Optional Supplemental Documents: File Name convention: LastName_Other#

Only .pdf format